The main tenant I got from his talk was that design is a function of its utility. Things shouldn't be crafted simply for design's sake, but should be rooted in their ability to serve a purpose. He noted that good designs can actually be ugly as long as it does its job well (i.e. a paper clip).

He also shared his 6 principles of design (when forced to answer in comparison with the 10 principles of Dieter Rams):

Design is how you treat your customer.

Design must be integrated throughout an organization.

Design cannot be a short term fix, but instead a long term engagement.

Is innovative - The possibilities for innovation are not, by any means, exhausted. Technological development is always offering new opportunities for innovative design. But innovative design always develops in tandem with innovative technology, and can never be an end in itself.

Makes a product useful - A product is bought to be used. It has to satisfy certain criteria, not only functional, but also psychological and aesthetic. Good design emphasizes the usefulness of a product whilst disregarding anything that could possibly detract from it.

Is aesthetic - The aesthetic quality of a product is integral to its usefulness because products are used every day and have an effect on people and their well-being. Only well-executed objects can be beautiful.

Makes a product understandable - It clarifies the product’s structure. Better still, it can make the product clearly express its function by making use of the user's intuition. At best, it is self-explanatory.

Is unobtrusive - Products fulfilling a purpose are like tools. They are neither decorative objects nor works of art. Their design should therefore be both neutral and restrained, to leave room for the user's self-expression.

Is honest - It does not make a product more innovative, powerful or valuable than it really is. It does not attempt to manipulate the consumer with promises that cannot be kept.

Is long-lasting - It avoids being fashionable and therefore never appears antiquated. Unlike fashionable design, it lasts many years – even in today's throwaway society.

Is thorough down to the last detail - Nothing must be arbitrary or left to chance. Care and accuracy in the design process show respect towards the consumer.

Is environmentally friendly - Design makes an important contribution to the preservation of the environment. It conserves resources and minimizes physical and visual pollution throughout the lifecycle of the product.

Is as little design as possible - Less, but better – because it concentrates on the essential aspects, and the products are not burdened with non-essentials. Back to purity, back to simplicity.

Clearly Behar's principles are centered around a more business-like nature. This is a good thing however, since modern day society now places a higher value on design. People like Behar are needed for organizations to understand how to incorporate design into their core value. As Behar stated, thanks to Apple and Steve Jobs, companies now "understand the ROI of design". While Rams, a design icon, was designing for Braun during the Cold War, design in society was seen as a "nice-to-have" as opposed to helping the bottom line, and its departments were often the first to get cut when profits shrank. Thanks to Apple proving the monetary value of design, Behar is able to address design and its applications to a modern day busines.

The one thing that is mirrored throughout both principles, is the notion that design and utility go hand in hand. Products have a function, and design should not detract from that.

Monday, June 27, 2011

Congratulations to the state of New York! They did what California has yet to accomplish (*sigh*).

By passing the marriage equality bill, they effectively DOUBLED the number of Americans who can enjoy same sex marriage! New York's state population is 19,378,102 according to the 2010 US Census. The population of the other five states (Mass, Conn, Iowa, New Hampshire, Vermont) plus Washington equal 15,671,450. Impressive indeed!

On that subject, I thought it'd be a good idea to take a look at how national perceptions of gay marriage have shifted in just one year!

Crazy that youngsters (18-34) changed 16%! In just one year! With the momentum from New York, expect these numbers to keep exploding! Great news!

Thursday, April 28, 2011

awesome article/infographic by Cliff Kung explaining what happens to athletes if they don't get 10-12 hours of sleep per week:

and another infographic calling out specific athletes and telling how much they sleep.check out lebron and federer!

kung finishes the article posing the question - do athlets sleep so much b/c they need to be at their peak at all times. OR do they sleep so much b/c they have more free time than the general population?

I'd go with the former - you'd be surprised at how much athletes need to dedicate to their sport even when they aren't physically working out.